1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an expansion chassis which enables a personal computer to have increased memory capacity. The chassis encloses a removable wiring bracket that carries an external computer memory (e.g. a conventional disk drive, tape drive, and the like) to which a particular predetermined address can be assigned.
2. Background Art
In some cases, the size of the memory of a personal computer is insufficient to complete complex and/or many applications. Accordingly, it has been known to increase the memory capacity of a personal computer by means of one or more expansion chassis which house external computer memories that can be devoted to individual applications. So that the computer network can be efficiently operated, it is necessary to assign an address or identification to each external memory to enable the personal computer to be able to selectively access respective ones of the memories depending upon the task to be performed.
It is common to set the identification of the external memory at the rear or bottom of its expansion chassis. This location results in a large number of electrical wires running through the interior of the chassis for connection to a corresponding number of I/O cables. Consequently, the process of identifying and distinguishing the external memories and networking the memories with a personal computer has proven to be undesirably complex, time consuming and cumbersome resulting in the consumption of a relatively large amount of space.
It is common for the expansion chassis to be manufactured with the external computer memory fixedly installed therewithin. As a consequence of the foregoing, it is not practical to remove the memory for security reasons or for relocation from one expansion chassis to another. Since the computer memory is not easily removable, the entire chassis may need to be taken out of service or even scrapped should the memory be in need of repair.
Therefore, what is needed is the ability to assign an address or identification to an external computer memory at a convenient and operator accessible location on the expansion chassis so as to facilitate the interconnection of the external memory to a personal computer and minimize the space that is consumed by the electrical wiring as a result thereof. What is also needed are quick and easy ways to install the external memory in its expansion chassis while allowing for the removal of the computer memory from its chassis to permit repair and/or replacement of the memory without having to alter the chassis.